Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Review- Morbius The Living Vampire No. 1

Morbius
The Living Vampire
No. 1 (Marvel, cover date March, 2013)

Writer:
Joe Keatinge

Artist:
Richard Elson

The
gist (with minor spoilers)- Morbius
recently escaped from the Raft (a prison for super-villains) and is
on the run. He relocates to Brownsville, a ghetto not unlike sections
of Detroit or Flint. In other words, a completely lawless badlands.
Several days after he arrives, Morbius witnesses a woman named Wanda
being harassed by a local criminal element named St. Germain. No
background is given on him, only that he is a scumbag, and no motive
is given for Morbius to lock horns with him other than this Wanda
reminds him of his mother. That's the condensed soup version of the
plot. It's a little on the thin side but I found it extremely
enjoyable nonetheless.

Page 1.

Eliminating
the two blacked out pages with the one line on it could've added some
heft to the story and allowed Keatinge to better recap the scenario
for new readers. This is by and large new reader friendly in that it
establishes the character but doesn't delve too deeply into his
history. There isn't a whole lot of rhyme or reason given for Morbius
doing what he does other than a) he tries to resist drinking the
blood of innocents, b) he is filled with regret over his actions, and
c) he is trying to act responsibly.

2
of the 22 pages of story are taken up by this dead space black page, which I consider to be
a complete waste of space. This is my only gripe with this issue, and
it hopefully will not be the norm throughout the series, as it will
get old fast. Keatinge's writing is otherwise enjoyable if brisk, and
his and artist Richard Elson's layouts and pacing are contemporary
and keep this from becoming a dated, nostalgic affair. I am pleased
with the writing and the artwork, as it is fresh yet in a traditional
vein. In other words, longtime fans will not feel alienated and
modern readers won't be turned off. Antonio Fabela's coloring is
tasteful as well. Judging by this lone issue, this series has the
potential to be the best take on the character since the Bronze Age.

The
characterization of Morbius is slightly updated in the way that he
speaks. I was waiting for him to utter the phrase “to slake my
thirst”, but no dice. Morbius' origin is briefly touched upon, but
I can't help but think that the story in Amazing Spider-Man
No. 699.1 should have been combined with this issue for a
double-sized first issue. Then again, a new Morbius series is
a tough sell in a crowded market as is, so a $4.99 or $5.99 price
point wouldn't do the series any favors.

This
series marks the first time that I will be following a series in the
periodical format since 1989. I have been a wait for the trade kind
of guy since I returned to this hobby a decade ago, but I realize
that a series like this probably won't make it and every single issue
sold counts. So I am willingly going to double dip, buying both the
floppies and the collected editions. Such is my love for this
character. Long live The Living Vampire! Morbius has risen!

Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The
OCD zone- I'm not crazy about these “self covers”, where the
cover is the same paper grade as the interior pages. It is a cost
save but it is not to my liking at all. There is an Marvel AR app
that goes with these Marvel NOW! Comics. I guess that you scan the
page with your phone and it unlocks bonus content. I tried
downloading it on my Android but it was taking forever so I said f---
it. Maybe some other time.